


Battle Scars

by chandallure



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Colosseum
Genre: Drabbles, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9637619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chandallure/pseuds/chandallure
Summary: A collection of drabbles and one-shots that take place during or before the story of Pokemon Colosseum. Updates sporadically. I'm open to requests too, if there's a particular part of the story you want to see that isn't here.More character tags and such will be added as I write them.





	1. Anything

**Author's Note:**

> For more elaboration on my Leo headcanons, check out this link: http://coleosseum.tumblr.com/hc !

“Alright, kiddo -- you built the thing. Looks good. But you’re not ready to ride it yet.”

“Whaaaat... why not?”

“What’s the first thing you do if you break down in the middle of the desert?”

A quiz. You pout. “I get out and fix it.”

“How?”

“I dunno.” You kick your legs back and forth, sitting on your brand new, fully tricked-out motorcycle. “What’s wrong with it?”

Gonzap laughs, folding his arms. “You’ve got a real knack for being fresh, Leo. Better be careful who you show it to.”

“Fresh? Me? No way.”

“Hah. Alright, then.” He taps his foot. “Let’s say you need gas. There’s a station within a mile, but you’ll have to push your bike all the way there.”

“Okay. So I push it.”

“Trick question.” He bops you lightly on the head. “You wouldn’t be able to push this thing for more than ten feet, with those noodly little arms.”

“Hey.” You fold your arms to mimic him. “My arms are  _ not _ that noodly.”

“Settle down, now. I asked a question.”

You scrunch up your nose. “Do I call you guys to pick me up?”

“No. Try again.”

“I could leave it and walk.”

“You’d go it alone in the desert?”

“Yeah. I’d make it.”

He falls quiet, sighing. You watch as he strums his fingers along his elbow, and know right away that you’ve given him the wrong answer. “You bring your own gas, Leo.” You flinch. “Always. Just in case. And you keep it in the sidecar where nobody can see it.”

“Pff. I know that.” You roll your eyes. Even if you know you messed up, you’ve never liked being wrong.

“Do you, Leo?” Gonzap sizes you up, eyes narrowing. Uh oh. “I don’t think you’re taking me seriously right now.”

“I said I _know_.” Now you’re just talking smack. A prickle in the back of your head tells you to stop, but you can’t. You push it. “You asked a trick question. How is that even fair?”

Tall boots come clicking over towards you, and before you know it your feet are off the ground and your collar’s tight around your neck -- Gonzap is huge and brawny enough to yank you off your feet and get right in your face. You clench your teeth.

“See what I just did?” His voice is low, nearly a growl. “Doesn’t matter what’s fair, Leo. Nobody knows your name, where you’re from, what your story is -- that doesn’t matter to them. You trust only your fellow agents, your skills, and the tools you’re given. Otherwise, you end up dead in the middle of the desert, where nobody will find your body. Am I understood?”

“Yeah. Whatever.”

“Am I  _ understood _ , Leo?”

You swallow, voice coming out quiet. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Just like that he drops you onto your feet and steps back. “Then you’re ready.”

“That’s it?” You look up.

“That’s it.” 

Sunlight looks down on the two of you over the peaks of Eclo Canyon, harshening the curve of rock and metal. You watch him turn his back and move away from you into the base, into the rays.

“You stand on your own two legs, Leo. Nobody else’s.” He turns back briefly, fixing his eyes on you. “If you can do that, you can do anything.”

_ Sure. _

You look out the window and into the lights of Phenac City. That girl you met today, Rui or whatever -- she’s out cold in the bed next to you. Fast asleep. You exhale, rubbing your hands down your face. 

Slipping on your jacket, you figure you oughta go outside and get in a good breather. Few paces around the fountain can't hurt.

_ Anything at all. _


	2. Shatter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place about two weeks before Leo decides to blow up the Snagem Hideout and run.

“Leo,” he says, “you’re just not seeing the bigger picture! This is going to solidify our spot on top of the world. We’ll take everything back--”

“ _ Taking _ is all we’ve been doing!” Your fists clench at your sides. “And has it gotten us anywhere? You keep saying it’s gonna, it will, but I’m not seein’ that progress. Anywhere.”

“You shut your mouth.”

Gonzap’s eyes narrow, and he steps closer, jabbing a finger into your chest. His shadow towers over yours, darkening his office around you. “I told you when I first dragged you in here that it’d take time. Patience, dedication, that’s what makes a Snagem Agent great. That’s what makes us a cut above the rest. We aren’t in this for the short term. It’s a slow and steady rise to the top, but it’s coming, Leo. This deal is going to get us there. You’ll see.”

Luna and Esperanza watch, perched on the windowsill. Their eyes follow every movement.

“... then tell me why the Pokemon I caught with my own two hands are missing.” You cock your head to the side, challenging. “Where are they going? You’re shipping them off somewhere into the hands of people who deal with  _ machines _ , not living things. You know that as well as I do, you saw the guy who came to look around yesterday. And you’re just lettin’ em in, givin’ ‘em a nice lil’ tour, holding their hands, are you an idiot? We don’t need them involved--”

His hands shoot out to grab your jacket in fistfuls, knuckles white. Your faces are so close together that you can smell his breath. Rank. Your jaw tightens as you stare him down.

“First off,” he growls, “you didn’t catch those Pokemon, Leo. Don’t get too full of yourself -- you stole them. They aren’t yours. They’re smuggled goods. Property. You need to step back a little, and see your assets as what they are: tools. Nothing more. You keep a team for yourself, sure, but you can’t start treating every Pokemon you meet as your own. It’ll drive you crazy if you get too attached. Keep your head on your shoulders, and get used to them coming and going in this process.

“Secondly, you might be our best Snagger, sure, but you still need to watch that mouth of yours. You’re nowhere near the top of the food chain in this situation.” He tilts his head a bit. “Don’t you forget who made you everything you are today. You’d still be sniveling and crawling through the dust if we hadn’t picked you up--”

You spit right in his face. He draws in a quick breath, and you get in a smug laugh as drool drips down his nose and off of his mustache.

But your game’s short-lived. With a fierce, low bellow, he shoves you backward into his desk and you stumble, the backs of your knees buckling against its corner. Luna and Esperanza immediately jump down by your side, crouching down low to the ground between you and Gonzap, ready to attack if he gets any closer. They look back at you as you slap a hand on the corner of the desk and push up onto your feet, teeth clenched.

“You little brat.” He wipes his face roughly with his palm. “I’ll--”

Grabbing a bottle beside his computer, you smash it. Glass sprays in all directions like sparks. You brandish the jagged edge in his direction.

“Nah, you’re done. My turn.” You laugh quietly. “First off, don’t you dare talk down to me. I made this place what it is. You know you’d be nowhere without my skill.

“ _Secondly_ , whether or not you trained me doesn’t matter. For the amount of work I do, I deserve a say in all this, and I’m gonna get it. You round up these lab coats, you get them outta here, and you bring back the Pokemon they took. They wanna screw us, Gonzap, and I’ve been telling you ever since these talks started. I don’t trust ‘em as far as I can throw ‘em.”

“Leo. Put it down.”

You laugh. “Yeah? Then maybe listen to what I’m saying!”

“I hear you loud and clear, but the decision’s been made, Leo. And I intend to go through with it.” He folds his arms, regaining his composure. Eyeing you carefully. “If you want to kill me, be my guest. But I can’t decide what’ll happen to you after that.”

Breathing heavily, you stare him down. Luna and Esperanza look up at you, waiting. Waiting for the order to destroy the man who hurt you. You can feel their eagerness prickling in the stuffy air of the room.

You hurl what’s left of the bottle so hard your arm aches. It shatters behind Gonzap, missing him only by a good few feet.

“You’re gonna regret it, Gonzap. Make of that what you will.”

Your boots click harsh against the silence of the office as you walk out. Luna and Esperanza follow close behind.


	3. Relics

“Well?”

Leo turns, yanked from his thoughts. “Well what?” His eyes narrow.

“Do you like it? You’re pretty quiet.” Rui walks ahead, resting a hand on the stone statue. She closes her eyes, breathing in the verdant forest air. “Just checking.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, actually.” He relaxes, rolling his shoulders. “It’s pretty amazing, if I’m being honest.”

“Really?” She perks up a little, giving him a smile. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He touches the bark of a tree nearby. Feels rough, earthy. Sturdy, too. 

“Y’know, you’re just kinda… never impressed by anything. And you even look calm, too.”

“Pff.” Leo looks away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sure. Maybe I am. What’s it to you?”

Rui keeps up that smile, sorely tempted to keep teasing him. But after helping Grandpa earlier today, she figures he’s earned a moment’s rest. Closing her eyes once more, she listens to the water rushing through the woods.

“When I was a kid,” she says, “my grandparents used to take me here all the time. They told me about the legend of this place… that this stone can relieve even the darkest heart of an abused Pokemon. And every time I come back,” she looks up into the treetops, “I guess I can see why that is. It just  _ feels _ good, you know? It feels like… home, somehow.”

Leo nods. He wanders around, tracing his fingers along the creases in treebark and leaves.

“Anytime I was sad, I came here and… okay, it’s a little embarrassing,” Rui laughs softly, “but I came here and cried. Right in front of this rock.” She touches it again. “And sometimes, I swear I could hear someone’s voice calling to me. Someone telling me that in the end, things would work out just fine. Whatever that was, even if it was in my head, I guess it made me feel better.”

Sunlight cradles the stone path, pooling in its creases beside little clumps of grass. Leo walks along its surface, stopping once he stands in front of the relic beside Rui. He breathes in--

“Eugh,” he starts coughing, “ugh, shoot. Swallowed a firefly…”

Rui laughs. “Nice one, Mr. Indestructible.”

“Hah.” He catches his breath. The lil’ bug flies off, glittering in the midday sun. Still in one piece. “Sorry.” 

He slides his hands into his pockets, gaze not leaving the rock. “When, uh… well, when I was a kid, I pretty much never saw anything like this. And I mean, like, the whole place -- no trees. No grass. None of this.” He waves a hand lazily, gesturing to the space around them. “Just desert for miles. And y’know we, uh. Went on lil’ vacations sometimes, sure,” he glances to the side, “but they were mostly for business and drinks. Not sightseeing.” Not that there’s much to see in the Under. “So seeing this, it’s… well, it’s basically like being on another planet. Smells weird, it’s bright, pretty loud… yeah. I love it.” He smiles, looking over at Rui. “I think you hit the nail on the head, bud. It feels like home.”

A voice echoes through the trees, resonating off their trunks. High and clear like a bell. A soft wind blows through the forest, ruffling Rui’s hair and the tails of Leo’s coat. She draws in a sharp breath, looking around.

“That’s… that’s it, Leo, that’s it! Did you hear it? That voice,” she looks at him, “tell me you heard it too!”

“Yeah.” He looks up, grinning. “Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really love the idea of Leo having never seen a place like the Relic Forest, and Rui having a connection to Celebi since childhood. Her powers always seemed kind of mystical to me, so it just makes sense in my mind.


	4. Wishmaker

“Leo! Leo, get up! Come on!”

You try to reply, but nothing comes out. Ein, that bastard. Sicking his Pokemon on you after you beat him… that’s a coward’s move. Your head swims. Feels like you’re sinking. Drowning, in your own body. But you’re not, you can’t be -- not now, not while the alarms blare, the room flashes red around the both of you. You’re almost outta here, almost made it… 

Rui’s voice fades out. When you force your eyes open, you find yourself on a dusty bus, carting its way through the desert.

“He’s asleep.”

A voice, on your right. Your heel clicks as you turn, the chains on your boots clacking. Nobody looks at you, not even the two people right across the aisle, huddled together. There’s a kid in their lap too, out like a light.

“Alondra, I can’t do this. We have to go back home, and think of something else--”

“What else is there? We’ve been through this a thousand times!”

Your breath catches in your throat as you listen.

“If we go back, you know what’s going to happen.” She goes on. “Everybody’s sick, nobody has the money, we’ve been over this again and again and I don’t wanna think about it anymore. The decision is made. That’s it.”

She’s small, thin, but her voice is sharp and sturdy. The ghost of a stronger girl sits in that seat, chugging through the desert night.

“This way, he gets a chance.” She looks away, out the window. “If we stay, he dies. If he stays  _ with _ us, he dies too. It’s killing the kids and the grandparents first. You want a dead boy over this? You think that’s better?”

“No, okay? No! I know.” The man next to her, dirty blond, bony-shouldered, he lowers his head into his hands, dragging them down his face. “I just can’t look at him. I can’t look at him and think about what we’re doing, it’s... it’s crazy. This is crazy.”

“Then don’t, Emil.” Her voice is firm. “Just don’t look at him, if that makes it easier.”

With a shaky sigh, he takes a Poke Ball out of his pocket and presses its center button. A Togepi pops out in a tiny flicker of red light, and he catches it in his arms.

“Cielo... listen, okay?”

“Pi?”

“You’re gonna go with Leo, and stay by him no matter what. No matter what happens, you stay right next to him, okay?”

You swallow hard, thick. The kid in her lap stays there silent, eyes closed, breathing in. “Open your eyes!” you yell at him, your voice coming back harsh, “Come on, look around, just come on, you stupid kid...”

“You have to make sure he stays out of trouble.” Emil murmurs. There are tears in his voice. You clench your jaw tight. “You make sure he knows how much we love him. How much we didn’t want this.”

Alondra looks down from the window and runs a hand quietly through her child’s hair, smoothing it out of his eyes. It gets hard to see, and you blink, but it doesn’t get easier. Everything blurs, their faces, the desert, time, your own body feels like it’s coming apart by the joints into different pieces, begging you to do something.

“We can’t do anything for you now.” Crooning, she talks to the sleeping child who will never remember, never hear her voice. “But somebody will. I wish with all my heart that somebody will help you.”

You can’t choke back your tears.

“I’m sorry.”

The bus starts to slow down. Out the window, you spot the worn-down copper train. The broken wheels, empty cans, bikes and trucks parked outside... that flickering light at the top of those creaky stairs. But something else, much closer, grabs your attention -- it’s a Pokemon, one you’ve never seen before, floating along just outside the window beside you and your mom.

It meets your eyes and startles, long yellow tails on its back swishing in surprise. You blink, realizing it knows you’re here. “Hey, wait--”

Its body glows a gentle blue, and it holds tiny gray hands together as if in prayer. Its eyes close, then open to give you one last look as it turns to fly away. 

A flash of light sparks along the orange glow of the horizon like a match. You shield your eyes, and when you open them, you’re back in the lab. Feet clatter against the metal. The alarm screams, and red fills your sight.

“Leo, please!” Rui’s voice is strained as she supports you, running fast as she can down the hall. “We have to go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of headcanon here. Lemme break it down into pieces.
> 
> 1) When the mining industry in Orre collapsed, it was pretty violent. The caustic runoff made it too poisonous for wild Pokemon to live there (that much is canon), so I'd imagine it made it hard for humans, too. Anytime you disrupt the bond between people and Pokemon, something awful happens. Point being, Leo's dad (Emiliano) was a coal miner, and he fell ill as a result of his work. Leo's mother (Alondra) also got sick. Leo was young at the time, and very vulnerable to the illness. They decided it was best to leave him and flee the region. In the end, they die of their sickness, but Leo gets a second chance to live.
> 
> 2) I talked about this a little on my blog for Leo, but Cielo was his father's Togepi. That Pokemon was the first to accompany Leo in life, well before he got Luna and Esperanza. Later on, Snagem gives Cielo away to Cipher, and that's pretty much the straw that breaks the camel's back in Leo's relationship with both of them. He blows up the hideout a few days later.
> 
> 3) Since Jirachi came out with the bonus disk for this game, I hope I'm not too out of bounds by including it here. Jirachi grants Alondra's wish, ensuring that someone will help Leo when he's abandoned at the Outskirt Stand.
> 
> If you wanna know anything else, you can leave a comment!


	5. Gouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where that graphic violence warning comes in. Be careful.
> 
> This is a flashback to Leo's younger days, as he climbs the ranks of Team Snagem.

“So what’s the deal with the kid?”

“Gonzap picked him up on the side of the road, I think... he caught a real lucky break.”

“Pff, yeah, okay... we’re not running an orphanage here. I dunno what he’s smoking.”

The wrench in your hand slips a little. It clanks against the side of your bike, or what’ll be a bike, if you keep at it. You will. “Hey, I can hear you guys talking.” You don’t look up, busy handling a screw. “Why don’t you go to hell? Just curious.”

They laugh at you, both of them. Your jaw tightens. You don’t look at them, but now they’re walking over, lowering their cigarettes to their sides. You can taste the smoke from where you’re sitting now. Your nose scrunches. This is a contest -- you’ve seen it go down other ways. Whichever one of you loses your cool first loses the fight. You lock yourself down in place and keep working.

“What’s your name, buddy?”

“None of your business,” you mutter. Don’t look at them.

“Huh. Y’know,” he looks at his friend, cocking his head to the side and clicking his tongue, “that’s a name I never heard before.” 

Don’t give them what they want.

“Yeah, me neither.”

Don’t lose your cool. 

“You deaf, lil’ buddy?”

You belong here. You belong here. You’re just as good as any of them. Gonzap told you so. You stay silent, the clink of rusted metal and the scent of motor oil line the moment. The grip you’ve got on your wrench tightens.

“I dunno if he’s paying attention. Kids these days don’t do respect.”

“That better change,” the other guy leans forward a little, his nasty breath within smelling distance. It reeks. You clench your teeth, turn the screw. “If you don’t respect your betters around here, you’ll get your ass beaten.”

Turn the screw.

“I think he’s lookin’ to get beat.”

Turn it harder.

“Probably.”

He takes in a long drag and blows the smoke right in your face. That’s it. The wrench in your hand comes up for an uppercut into his ugly chin and the guy stumbles back, spitting blood and curses. You watch him go down and start hollering with laughter. 

Not for long.

“Little brat,” his friend grabs you by the collar and drags you to your feet, “you’re in trouble now. I don’t care if you’re Gonzap’s new pet -- I’ll throttle you. You wanna try it again?” He shakes you by the throat. You choke on stars and spit. Your wrench slips out of your hand and clatters on the rough cement. “You wanna try that one more time?”

When he stops shaking you, when your head’s done rattling, you look down for your wrench. Your fingers feebly stretch out. “See, right there. Look at that,” he throws you back against the bike and you cough, crumpling up against the hot metal, searing under the desert sun. “You’ve got great instincts. That’s good. You just gotta learn how to use ‘em.” He slips a hand into a pocket on his belt. “How to use your tools.”

“Hey Wakin, hold on. Don’t wreck him or Gonzap will give you hell, it’s not worth it--”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna thank me.” He tosses a Poke Ball up and down. “Somebody needs to put the kid in his place before he gets to be a problem. He owes us some respect.”

With a flick of his wrist he sends out a Houndour. You look up, meeting its eyes, and your stomach drops. Narrow irises piercing like the tip of a hot fire poker. You put one hand on your bike to try pulling yourself to your feet. It falls to the ground and breaks into pieces, and you tumble into the pile on your back. There goes your project. In all the noise you can’t catch what he says, your ears strain to figure it out and you get an answer in the form of black body silver claws tearing skin blood and motor oil--

“Get it off me,  _ get it off me!” _

“Dang,” laughter, “I can’t remember the last time I fed the thing -- if you don’t feed it before a battle it gets a little tougher, right?”

Nothing they’re saying registers. You kick your legs and then come the fangs, right into your side. Muscle locks up in both of you, you see the Pokemon’s jaw tighten into a vicegrip on command and you feel your own abdomen muscle go stiff, your breathing fast and torn by screams. The more you try pulling away the harder it clamps down and the more you feel your stomach tighten up and curl into your ribs and your head swim your nails scrape across the concrete. The tremors come in waves and you cry out when you can’t keep it back anymore, begging, crying like a wounded animal.

You’re gonna die.

“... gotta go! Now!”

“Alright, alright, I’m going!”

The sun’s red glow flares across your vision and the Houndour disappears, returning to its master. You look down and see your jacket torn to shreds, covered in blood. Looking up at the two of them, you try crawling backwards, eyes wide. The most you can do is lay there, shaking.

“Learn to use those tools, kid. They don’t come cheap.” He straightens out his belt, tucking the Poke Ball back where it came from. “Gonzap’s giving you life on a silver platter. A little  _ gratitude _ is free. Smarten up.”

They run off. Move, you have to move. Your back is numb against the scrap metal below you. More bruises to count, if you’re lucky enough to get the chance. The painted lines of red where your fingers dragged across the cement and the dribbling wounds all over your chest, your stomach, and your arms come into focus, start to make sense. Your eyes squint, strain, trying to figure them out, count. It’s bad. Still can’t move. You breathe in, breathe out. 

Breathe in, fade out.


End file.
